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Conformed to the Image of Christ

Posted on September 30, 2026 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

God intends for us to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom.8:29). It takes more than outward conformity of simply following His example. The change into His likeness begins on the inside, which then manifests itself outwardly in all we do. That requires power outside of ourselves. Only as we walk in the Spirit will we truly emulate Jesus from the inside out (Gal.5:13-26). Christlikeness will then affect all we do.

Conformity to Christ Affects Our Relationship with God

We read of Jesus praying to the Father. His example so impacted His disciples that they asked Him to teach them how to pray (Lk. 11:1-4). From Him we learn that teaching prayer by example requires … (Click on links to read posts.)

If Jesus found prayer to be vital to His relationship with the Father, certainly those who are conformed to the image of Christ should find praying vital to their walk with God.

Christlikeness Affects Our Relationships with Others

Scripture specifically exhorts us, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). It goes on to describe an attitude of humility and servanthood. Read: Jesus’ Example of Servanthood

When conformed to the image of Christ, it spills over into how we speak and react. Click on the following links to read more:

Christ-like Communication (follow links on that page for more articles)
Attitude Toward Those Who Do Us Wrong

Being Conformed to the Image of Christ Affects How We Do Ministry

All we do, “whether in word or deed”, is to be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). That means we pull on His power and authority as we align with Him in the way we serve. Take time to read: Ministry Methodology All in the Name of the Lord

Alignment with Him provides a broad covering for how we do ministry. We can also learn how to do specific ministries from His example. Consider teaching: Jesus, the Master Teacher, shows us how to teach others. Read the following posts to learn ways to conform your teaching with His:

When conformed to the image of Christ, we’ll also be concerned with helping others in their ministries. Jesus actively discipled and equipped people in His earthly ministry.

Let’s rely on and yield to the Holy Spirit to make us more like Christ in all we do!

God is Holy

Posted on September 23, 2026 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Have you noticed how some people want to focus on God’s love more than His holiness, even to the point of forgetting that God is holy? It provides an excuse to live contrary to His Word. Wouldn’t a loving God want me to be happy? Surely a loving God doesn’t really mean we shouldn’t do this or that.

God’s Character Defines Holiness

Does His holiness still matter? It does if the God of the Bible still matters. Scripture clearly describes Him as a loving God whose love endures forever. The Bible also says God is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16). He is both loving and holy, at the same time. As a loving God, He establishes standards in keeping with His holiness. His ways and thoughts are so much higher and better than ours (Isa. 55:9). Our ways lead to destruction (Prov. 14:12). His ways are righteous and pure (Ps. 19:9). A loving God wants to keep us from self-destructing. Love and holiness therefore gel.

Other traits enter into His holiness. Because God is eternal and also knows all things, He sees the beginning from the end. What He deems as holy isn’t a random setting of rules and regulations. He knows what’s best for us.

God is also just so we may suffer the consequences when we sin against His holiness but always with the purpose of making us better, for “the Lord disciplines the one He loves … in order that we may share in His holiness” (Heb. 12:6, 10). He is also merciful when we return to Him (Lam. 3:22-24, 33-40). – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” (Lam. 3:22)

Since God is Holy, What Are the Implications for Us?

Because God is Holy, Be Holy Scripture clearly responds to this question: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'” (1 Pet. 1:15-16)

Take time to read the following posts to further reflect on what it means for us to have a holy God:

3 Basic Ways to Grow the Church

Posted on September 9, 2026 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Ways to Grow the Church Must Follow God's Design in Eph. 4:16
Interested in Church Growth? Before putting all sorts of complicated systems and strategies in place, start with the three basic ways to grow the Church as seen in Ephesians 4:16. Follow God’s design.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

By church growth we’re not just talking about numbers, though numerical growth often becomes a part of it. We’re talking about growing “to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

Basic #1 for Church Growth: Acknowledge and Align with the Head of the Church

After referring to Christ “who is the head” in verse 15, we read “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows …” (Eph. 4:16). Elsewhere Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). The number one way to grow the Church must be to acknowledge and align with the Head of the Church.

Jesus, not our programs, leaders, technology, buildings, or strategies, must have first place in our churches. He is the greatest draw in outreach. — “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” (Col. 1:15-18)

We do more, however, than merely point people to Jesus. We align with and depend on Him for without Him, the Church isn’t properly held together.

Basic #2 for Growing as a Church: Love God and One Another

Notice how the Body “grows and builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16). When people believe we truly care about them, it motivates them to want to be a part. Even more, when we help them know and rely on the love God has for them, they in turn love others (1 Jn. 4:16-19).

Jesus identified loving God with all of who we are and loving others (Matt. 22:37-40) as the greatest commandments. How can love, then, not be a part of the growth equation? Let’s purpose to love. It’s one of God’s ways to grow the Church.

Basic #3 of Ways to Grow the Church: Encourage and Equip People to Do Their Parts

The Body “grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:16). God designed the Church to function interdependently, not as a spectator sport. He also provides the empowerment needed to do our parts. — “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet. 4:10)

Teach about spiritual gifting and God’s design for the Body using something like the Everybody Has a Part Curriculum, to encourage people to do their parts. Also, however, equip them to serve effectively. Provide ministry training. — “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13)

Let’s follow God’s ways to grow the Church.

How Do Your Co-Workers View You?

Posted on September 2, 2026 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Daniel Thrown into Lion's Den Due to Jealousy of Co-workers
God miraculously delivered Daniel from the lions’ den, but why did they throw him in with the lions? True, Daniel continued to pray to God after the king’s decree forbidding everyone from praying to any god or human except the king for thirty days. The real reason, however, goes back further to what led to the king’s decree — to what was taking place in Daniel’s “workplace” with his co-workers.

How Daniel’s Co-Workers Viewed Him

Excelling in his job, Daniel received recognition, which made his co-workers jealous. To sabotage his success they wanted to bring an accusation against him “but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him” (Dan. 6:1-4).

Notice that they found “NO” negligence or corruption in him. That undoubtedly meant he didn’t justify even little breaks in integrity saying,

“It doesn’t hurt anything.”
“Nobody will notice.”
“Everybody’s doing it.”

Daniel’s co-workers concluded, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God” (Dan. 6:5). Since his character flowed from Daniel’s walk with God, his co-workers would have to manipulate the king into making a decree they knew Daniel wouldn’t keep because of his unwavering devotion to his God.

What Kind of Testimony Do You Have in the Workplace?

Think about how your co-workers view you. Would they characterize you similar to Daniel (Dan. 6:4)?

Faithful?

Can people depend on you do do your job and do it well? Do the words trustworthy, consistent, and dependable describe you in the workplace?

No Negligence?

Do you avoid making mistakes due to carelessness? Are you careful not to cut corners or gloss over errors but rather aim for excellence? Do the words conscientious, attentive, and careful describe you in the workplace?

No Corruption?

Do you maintain moral integrity, not even getting caught up in little white lies? Do the words honest and good describe you in the workplace?

Result of Such a Testimony

We probably won’t get thrown into a lions’ den because of jealous co-workers. We might, however, get ridiculed, even fired if we fail to comply with an immoral demand. Are you willing to suffer for righteousness’ sake? God may not “shut the mouths of the lions” (Dan. 6:22) as He did with Daniel. Sometimes He allows suffering to bring about a greater purpose, though we may not see it at the time

The approval of God way supersedes the approval of other people, so “even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed” (1 Pet. 3:14). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12)

Prepared to Face Temptation in Ministry?

Posted on August 26, 2026 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Just because we serve in a Christian environment doesn’t mean we won’t encounter potential for doubts or breaks in integrity. Prepare to face temptation. Even our Lord Jesus was tempted (Matt. 4:1-11).

Types of Temptation in Ministry

We learn of it in the news: Pastors engage in adultery. Youth leaders sexually abuse teenagers. Treasurers or other ministry staff get caught embezzling. Maybe you feel you would never give in to those kinds of sins but given the right circumstances, the temptation may present itself.

Not all temptations have dire consequences so we may not be as prepared to resist things like …

lying to save face.
taking shortcuts to make your life easier.
bragging to make yourself look good.
gossiping to make others look bad.
etc.

What to Remember to Be Prepared When Tempted

We have an enemy, the devil, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). To destroy the work of God, he’ll piggyback on our sin nature, putting temptation in our way. Remember that we don’t have to give in to flesh and the devil. To resist, however, we must stay alert and keep submitting ourselves to the Lord in all situations (1 Pet. 5:8-11). Though temptation is “common to mankind”, we have a faithful God who knows what we can bear and provides a way out (1 Cor. 10:13).

Since we still have that old sin nature, there will unfortunately be times we forget to pull on His strength and provision and give in to temptation. Again, we must remember that we have a faithful and just God. “If we confess our sins,” He “will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). That doesn’t mean we won’t face consequences so the objective should always be to stay alert and keep submitting ourselves to the Lord in all situations, so we don’t yield to temptation.

Prepared to Face Conflict?

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Just because we serve with other Christians, doesn’t mean we’ll always get along and agree with each other. Prepare for possible conflict.

Reasons We Need to Be Prepared to Face Conflict with Fellow Christians

Think of the mix of people in your group. We come together with …

different personalities and personal styles which leads to different approaches.

varying backgrounds which means varying preconceived ideas.

Conflict When We Fail to Walk by the Spirit
Add to this mix our self-centered human nature which wants its own way, and we’re bound for conflict if any among us fails to walk by the Spirit.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? (James 4:1)

What to Remember When Facing Conflicting Approaches and Ideas

God designed the Church to best function when we bring all of our differences together and learn from one another. We grow through the contribution of each part (Eph. 4:16). With this perspective, we work through our differences rather than let them divide us. For that to happen, however, we need to put on the new nature (Eph. 4:22-27). Then we will heed the exhortation to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phil. 2:3-4)

We can’t control the words and reactions of others. While we do have a responsibility to help them see the error of their ways, they are ultimately accountable for what they do (Gal. 6:1-5). God doesn’t expect us to “fix” others but rather to encourage and warn as needed (1 Thess. 5:14). Be prepared to face conflict by remembering this verse about your personal responsibility: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Rom. 12:18)

When faced with conflict, our attitudes and emotions can get in the way of resolution. Remember these verses about the need to guard our heart (Prov. 4:23) in conflict: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 Jn. 4:20-21)

For additional help dealing with conflict, check out these resources: Conflict Management & Resolution Resources